From the Principal’s Desk:
Free and cheap summer fun for kids
Your kids can have fun in the Charlotte area this summer without putting a hurting to your wallet. Most of these activities are free, and the ones that aren’t are dirt cheap. Follow the links for details on each. This is the 2015 list. These are all great activities for your family to enjoy.
Roller Skating: Skate For Free is a national program that allows kids to roller skate for free this summer in many rinks across the country. Two rinks in Gastonia are participating. If you follow the above link, you can see the details for each.
Bowling: Ten Park Lanes allows kids to bowl for free all summer. Shoe rental is required.
Free Swim Lessons: Charlotte’s two public outdoor pools, Cordelia Pool at 2100 N. Davidson Street, and Double Oaks Pool, at 1200 Newland Road, offer free swimming lessons throughout the summer, and Ray’s Splash Planet offers free lessons all year. Follow the link for details on registering.
Microsoft Summer Camp: The Microsoft Store offers free game designing and game coding summer camps for kids this summer, but you need to sign up in advance, and space is limited. Here’s the info on the four-day camps.
Reed Gold Mine: Reed Gold Mine, just a short drive away in Midland, is a great outing for kids. It’s free to tour the mine. Pay just $3 to pan for gold.
Dan Nicholas Park: Also a short drive away, Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury is definitely worth a visit or two this summer. Everything there is either free or just a couple bucks, including an old-fashioned carousel, a mini-train ride, sprayground, nature center, paddle boats, mini golf, animals, and gem mining. A bucket of gems is $7.
Carolina Place: Family Fun Days are held at Center Court every other Wednesday. Magic, animals, music, more. Free.
Get discounts: Use Groupon to find discounts on everything from bounce houses to trampoline parks to summer camps to water parks.
Cheap pools and free spraygrounds : Charlotte Park and Rec’s spraygrounds and swimming pools opened for weekends and will be open every day of the week starting The spraygrounds are free and the swimming pools cost just $1 to visit. Follow the link for information on the two swimming pools and five spraygrounds.
Free outdoor movies: Once again, several Charlotte area locations are showing free outdoor movies this summer. They’re mostly in parks and start when it gets dark. Get there early, though, so you can get a good spot for your blanket. These movies are a great way to relax outside with your kids as the evening (hopefully) cools off. List of free outdoor movies around Charlotte area.
$1 (or less!) Weekday Morning Movies : Many Charlotte area movie theaters are offering weekday movies for $1 or less for kids. Follow the above link for details.
Summer Reading Programs: Here’s information on three summer reading programs that allow kids to earn prizes or free books. They’re from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, The Last Word and Barnes & Noble.
Outdoor concerts: Free summer concerts are held all over the Charlotte area. These are family-friendly and sometimes include special activities for kids like face-painting and bounce houses. Check out the list of free outdoor concerts in the Charlotte area.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful summer.
Erin
Reminder: We will be closed on July 3rd in observation of Independence Day!
Parent Reminders
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Please be sure to wash your child’s hands upon entering the classroom.
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If your child has received any new immunizations, please make sure we have an updated record in your child’s file.
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All outside food must be store bought.
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Inform the front office if your emergency contact information changes.
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Please sign your child in and out each day.
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Label all your child’s belongings.
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Please put appropriate foot wear on your child for active play.
It is time for our Summer ANCILLARY PROGRAMS
Daisy Dance is a ballet, tap and a creative movement dance program designed to teach children a life long love of movement and provide a foundation for all dance genres. Daisy Dance will return in September.
Wednesday Morning: Music For Little Ones is an original approach that successfully engages active preschoolers in musical activities, in order to enhance their overall development. The new session begins on 6/3/15 .
Wednesday Afternoon: T.O.T (Teams of Tomorrow) is an awesome training program that focuses on basketball handling and dribbling skills. The onsite classes are fun, educational and active. TOTS will be returning in September.
Thursday Morning: Soccer Shots is a popular non-competitive youth soccer program. This program teaches confidence, fun, character, teamwork, coordination and imagination. Our Summer session will started on 6/11/15. We will have a new session in the Fall.
Friday Morning: King Tiger Tae Kwon Do is taught according to individual needs and levels of skills.Students begin to establish, and actually achieve, personal goals. Students learn that, by setting realistic goals and applying dedication and hard work, anything is possible. They develop confidence! The virtues of Respect, Concentration, Discipline, and Motivation are the characteristics of a truly confident individual. We will have a new session in the Fall.
Volunteer Spotlight:
This month we would like to recognize Jamie Velez for her wonderful teacher appreciation event for the month of June. We would like to thank you “berry” much for your creativity and always being such a great support system for our school. The teachers loved it!
From the Education Department:
Fun Ways to Keep Your Child Engaged in Learning this Summer
Summer offers unique opportunities for children to learn through fun, multi-sensory experiences. Our teachers continue to use our Links to Learning curriculum to help children develop new skills throughout 
the summer.
Here are some examples of types of activities we will be doing this summer, as well as ideas for you and your child to do at home.
INFANTS
In the classroom: Our teachers provide numerous opportunities for multi-sensory exploration. Infants spend tummy time in the grass, splash their hands at the water table and feel and taste summer fruits.
At home: Fill a small bowl with water and place it in front of your child. Allow him to splash his hands in the water. Practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill development by adding toys and encouraging your child to retrieve them.
TODDLERS (ages 1-2):
In the classroom: In the toddler years, children begin to play together with their peers. They practice sharing toys and cooperating in learning centers. Research shows that by nurturing connections with others, toddlers learn how to form friendships, communicate their emotions and deal with challenges.
At home: Encourage sharing skills by taking turns blowing bubbles with your child, doing the Hokey Pokey, or drawing pictures using sidewalk chalk.
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginner students use math and science while participating in fun outdoor activities. For instance, they predict and test the buoyancy of toys at the water table, and count how many will float and how many will sink.
At home: During bath time or in a baby pool, continue the exploration of what sinks and what floats. Bring a small assortment of toys and ask your child to guess which items will sink or float.
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Intermediates take advantage of the warm summer weather by strengthening their gross motor skills. They practice pedaling on a tricycle, throwing and catching balls, playing hopscotch and walking on balance boards.
At home: Play follow the leader around your neighborhood or at a nearby park. Have your child try skipping, galloping, hopping, marching and jogging.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Teachers make reading and writing more engaging and fun by moving learning outdoors. For example, our older preschoolers go on a nature walk, write about their experience in their journals, and share their journal entries with the class.
At home: Increase your child’s interest in writing by bringing various writing materials outside, such as crayons and paper or colored sidewalk chalk. Ask your child to draw and label what he sees.
During the summer months, we provide many opportunities for students to explore their interests, learn to their full potential, and express themselves creatively. These hands-on experiences lead to growth in all areas of development as children transition into elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education
July Newsletter
From the Principal’s Desk:
Free and cheap summer fun for kids
Your kids can have fun in the Charlotte area this summer without putting a hurting to your wallet. Most of these activities are free, and the ones that aren’t are dirt cheap. Follow the links for details on each. This is the 2015 list. These are all great activities for your family to enjoy.
Roller Skating: Skate For Free is a national program that allows kids to roller skate for free this summer in many rinks across the country. Two rinks in Gastonia are participating. If you follow the above link, you can see the details for each.
Bowling: Ten Park Lanes allows kids to bowl for free all summer. Shoe rental is required.
Free Swim Lessons: Charlotte’s two public outdoor pools, Cordelia Pool at 2100 N. Davidson Street, and Double Oaks Pool, at 1200 Newland Road, offer free swimming lessons throughout the summer, and Ray’s Splash Planet offers free lessons all year. Follow the link for details on registering.
Microsoft Summer Camp: The Microsoft Store offers free game designing and game coding summer camps for kids this summer, but you need to sign up in advance, and space is limited. Here’s the info on the four-day camps.
Reed Gold Mine: Reed Gold Mine, just a short drive away in Midland, is a great outing for kids. It’s free to tour the mine. Pay just $3 to pan for gold.
Dan Nicholas Park: Also a short drive away, Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury is definitely worth a visit or two this summer. Everything there is either free or just a couple bucks, including an old-fashioned carousel, a mini-train ride, sprayground, nature center, paddle boats, mini golf, animals, and gem mining. A bucket of gems is $7.
Carolina Place: Family Fun Days are held at Center Court every other Wednesday. Magic, animals, music, more. Free.
Get discounts: Use Groupon to find discounts on everything from bounce houses to trampoline parks to summer camps to water parks.
Cheap pools and free spraygrounds : Charlotte Park and Rec’s spraygrounds and swimming pools opened for weekends and will be open every day of the week starting The spraygrounds are free and the swimming pools cost just $1 to visit. Follow the link for information on the two swimming pools and five spraygrounds.
Free outdoor movies: Once again, several Charlotte area locations are showing free outdoor movies this summer. They’re mostly in parks and start when it gets dark. Get there early, though, so you can get a good spot for your blanket. These movies are a great way to relax outside with your kids as the evening (hopefully) cools off. List of free outdoor movies around Charlotte area.
$1 (or less!) Weekday Morning Movies : Many Charlotte area movie theaters are offering weekday movies for $1 or less for kids. Follow the above link for details.
Summer Reading Programs: Here’s information on three summer reading programs that allow kids to earn prizes or free books. They’re from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, The Last Word and Barnes & Noble.
Outdoor concerts: Free summer concerts are held all over the Charlotte area. These are family-friendly and sometimes include special activities for kids like face-painting and bounce houses. Check out the list of free outdoor concerts in the Charlotte area.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful summer.
Erin
Reminder: We will be closed on July 3rd in observation of Independence Day!
Parent Reminders
It is time for our Summer ANCILLARY PROGRAMS
Daisy Dance is a ballet, tap and a creative movement dance program designed to teach children a life long love of movement and provide a foundation for all dance genres. Daisy Dance will return in September.
Wednesday Morning: Music For Little Ones is an original approach that successfully engages active preschoolers in musical activities, in order to enhance their overall development. The new session begins on 6/3/15 .
Wednesday Afternoon: T.O.T (Teams of Tomorrow) is an awesome training program that focuses on basketball handling and dribbling skills. The onsite classes are fun, educational and active. TOTS will be returning in September.
Thursday Morning: Soccer Shots is a popular non-competitive youth soccer program. This program teaches confidence, fun, character, teamwork, coordination and imagination. Our Summer session will started on 6/11/15. We will have a new session in the Fall.
Friday Morning: King Tiger Tae Kwon Do is taught according to individual needs and levels of skills.Students begin to establish, and actually achieve, personal goals. Students learn that, by setting realistic goals and applying dedication and hard work, anything is possible. They develop confidence! The virtues of Respect, Concentration, Discipline, and Motivation are the characteristics of a truly confident individual. We will have a new session in the Fall.
Volunteer Spotlight:
This month we would like to recognize Jamie Velez for her wonderful teacher appreciation event for the month of June. We would like to thank you “berry” much for your creativity and always being such a great support system for our school. The teachers loved it!
From the Education Department:
Fun Ways to Keep Your Child Engaged in Learning this Summer
Summer offers unique opportunities for children to learn through fun, multi-sensory experiences. Our teachers continue to use our Links to Learning curriculum to help children develop new skills throughout
the summer.
Here are some examples of types of activities we will be doing this summer, as well as ideas for you and your child to do at home.
INFANTS
In the classroom: Our teachers provide numerous opportunities for multi-sensory exploration. Infants spend tummy time in the grass, splash their hands at the water table and feel and taste summer fruits.
At home: Fill a small bowl with water and place it in front of your child. Allow him to splash his hands in the water. Practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill development by adding toys and encouraging your child to retrieve them.
TODDLERS (ages 1-2):
In the classroom: In the toddler years, children begin to play together with their peers. They practice sharing toys and cooperating in learning centers. Research shows that by nurturing connections with others, toddlers learn how to form friendships, communicate their emotions and deal with challenges.
At home: Encourage sharing skills by taking turns blowing bubbles with your child, doing the Hokey Pokey, or drawing pictures using sidewalk chalk.
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginner students use math and science while participating in fun outdoor activities. For instance, they predict and test the buoyancy of toys at the water table, and count how many will float and how many will sink.
At home: During bath time or in a baby pool, continue the exploration of what sinks and what floats. Bring a small assortment of toys and ask your child to guess which items will sink or float.
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Intermediates take advantage of the warm summer weather by strengthening their gross motor skills. They practice pedaling on a tricycle, throwing and catching balls, playing hopscotch and walking on balance boards.
At home: Play follow the leader around your neighborhood or at a nearby park. Have your child try skipping, galloping, hopping, marching and jogging.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Teachers make reading and writing more engaging and fun by moving learning outdoors. For example, our older preschoolers go on a nature walk, write about their experience in their journals, and share their journal entries with the class.
At home: Increase your child’s interest in writing by bringing various writing materials outside, such as crayons and paper or colored sidewalk chalk. Ask your child to draw and label what he sees.
During the summer months, we provide many opportunities for students to explore their interests, learn to their full potential, and express themselves creatively. These hands-on experiences lead to growth in all areas of development as children transition into elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education